Prescribed Burn at UCSB Lagoon on Thursday

By edhat staff

A prescribed burn of the area surrounding the UC Santa Barbara Lagoon will take place on Thursday, depending on weather conditions.

Approximately 0.5 acres of grassland and Coastal Sage/Bluff Scrub near Campus Point will burn in the late morning and conclude by 4:00 p.m., although the burn is planned to last less than one hour.

The burn will depend on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable to smoke dispersal.

“This one-day burn is part of an ongoing ecological management effort to control non-native grasses and establish native bluff scrub vegetation. Prescribed, or planned, fires typically burn less intensely than wildfires. Prescribed burns can help prevent the spread of wildfires and can reduce impacts to watersheds that can result in soil loss and sedimentation. The burn will be conducted when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers,” according to the Air Pollution Control District.

This prescribed burn is planned and coordinated by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department with Santa Barbara County APCD, San Luis Obispo County APCD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, Ventura County APCD, and the California Air Resources Board in order to minimize impacts on air quality on surrounding communities. 

A portable air monitor will be set up in the area to monitor air quality conditions. Data will be available on the Air Pollution Control District’s website: www.OurAir.org/todays-air-quality/.